Beyond the Time Barrier (1960)

Future Feature

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

The Austrian-born Edgar G. Ulmer reportedly helped the set design for some of the great German Expressionist films before trying to make a go as a director in Hollywood. He started in "B" movies and never stopped, but created some genuine low-budget masterworks. Beyond the Time Barrier (1960) was one of his last films, and arguably one of his cheapest, shot in about a week at the site of a world's fair in Texas, and shot side-by-side with another cheapie, The Amazing Transparent Man. It concerns a test pilot (Robert Clarke, who also produced) who accidentally cracks the time barrier and winds up in the future, where a plague has turned the world into a living nightmare. Darlene Tompkins plays the pretty, mute, telepathic princess who falls for the pilot (I guess she didn't have many options). Ulmer cast his daughter Arianne as " Captain Markova," and his wife Shirley was the script editor.